2-9-2020 “Fulfilling the Law” Matthew 5:13-20

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany

Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor

When I was working on my Master’s in English, I took a course in utopian literature. We read authors such as Sir Thomas More, Jonathan Swift, and Voltaire. One of the first things that an author of a utopian narrative does is criticize and attack his immediate predecessor. Think about it: if I write a narrative describing the perfect world (which is what utopian literature does), and you agree with what I wrote, then you do not need to write your own story. I’ve covered it, haven’t I? You only need to write one if what I wrote does not describe the perfect world. Footnote: the real irony in all this is that utopian literature is more satirical than anything else. Also, the word “utopia” comes from the Greek words eu and topos, which, translated into English, mean both a good land and no land. What a perfect word: one that defines a satire which illustrates that a perfect world does not exist.

But I’m getting a bit off track. Refuting the work of your immediate predecessor is the key. The same is true of politicians. They spend most of their time bashing each other. When I watch a political debate on TV, I walk away knowing less about what each candidate believes or proposes to do and more about how incompetent they think their opponent is. I also walk away from such debates feeling as if I lost a few brain cells, but, again, I’m getting off track.

In our competitive society, things are often framed with an us vs. them construct. For something or someone to be right, the opposite or opponent must be wrong. I thought about all this when I read the Gospel Lesson for today.

Again, this comes early on during Jesus’ earthly ministry. We are still at the beginning of his Sermon on the Mount. There’s quite a bit squeezed into the eight verses we have from Matthew today. You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world, and “do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” This is especially important, because throughout the Sermon on the Mount Jesus continually says, “You have heard it said X, but I say Y.” X is a teaching from the Hebrew Bible. Y is Jesus’ teachings. But we are in error if we see X and Y as two mutually exclusive things.

The Hebrew Bible is divided into three parts: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.

The Law is the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These are also called the Pentateuch or the Books of Moses. The Law is the most important part of Scripture to Jews. It describes God’s covenant with Israel and outlines the 613 (not ten) commandments that the Hebrew people are to follow.
The Prophets are, as the names suggests, the prophetic writings that warn the Jews to follow in the ways of Yahweh to reestablish their covenant with him. Written mostly while the Jews were in exile, the major prophets (such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel) and the minor prophets (such as Jonah, Micah, and Zechariah) comprise a large part of what Christians call the Old Testament.
The Writings are often called the Poetical Writings, because they are…get ready Richard James…poetry. These books include Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, and Job. The differ in terms of form and content, but they give us creative insight into the will and way of God.

So, when Jesus says the Law and the Prophets, as he does quite a bit throughout Matthew’s Gospel, he means the Bible of his time — the texts that were recognized as sacred Scripture to him and his contemporaries.

But notice what he says in this passage: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” In other words, he is taking the teachings from his Jewish tradition and not denouncing them, but expanding the definition and application of them. It is as if history has interpreted certain laws literally, but now that history has changed (because the Messiah has come) we look at such laws through the lens of love. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” That is the historic, literal interpretation. “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” That is the interpretation from the messianic lens. Love of friend and enemy will make you more God-like. In the past, maybe you had to hate your enemy to be safe, to survive. But the times have changed: in the age of the Messiah, you are to love your enemy. You are to love everyone, because God is love.

Jesus reorients our perspective. From the vantage-point of the cross and the empty tomb, the world looks different. The saving work of Christ alters the legalistic, normative lens that we are so used to looking through. It isn’t that the old commands (the Law) are in error or are obsolete. It’s simply that we need to interpret them from the perspective of the Gospel.

In his lengthy commentary on Matthew, David L. Turner claims that “Matthew’s Jesus is the ultimate goal of the law and the prophets, the one to whom they point…Thus he becomes the sole authoritative teacher of the law, and his interpretations take on the character of new law for his disciples.”[1] There it is!

We are Jesus’s disciples as well — those who have heard the call and seek to follow in his way. Which law are we supposed to follow? Simply put: the law of the Gospel. That law is the law of life.

There is much wisdom in that acronym WWJD: what would Jesus do. I used to have an associate pastor who objected to this popular saying. He would say, “We do not know what Jesus would do. We only know what Jesus did.” Fair enough. But based on what Jesus did, though, we can make educated guesses about what he would do. When we ask what would Jesus do and try to follow the answers it offers, we are following the law of the Gospel. As I’ve said before, that law is often countercultural. It also requires discernment. We must read, and reread, and discuss, and reread, and probe, and reread the Scriptures to hear the deeper commands of God’s law for us.

If all that you do is based on love and gives glory to God, you’ll be off to a good start. If what you do gives life, it’s from God. If it bolsters people up, rather than tearing them down, it’s from God. If it makes Christ’s kingdom more tangible on earth, especially among those who have lost hope in religion, it’s from God. Don’t worry about the rules that people spout at you — the ones they say you need to follow to be a Christian. Look at Jesus, the One who fulfilled the rules, and shone new light on them. May that light (the light of the law fulfilled) illumine your path as well. Amen.

[1] David L. Turner, Matthew (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008), 158.